Dr. Cathy Decker English 1A, Composition (3 Units) Fall 1998

Class Session: 3:30 pm to 5 Mon. and Wed., LA-6
Office Hours: Mon. and Wed. 11-12:30; Tues. and Fri. 1:30-2:30 (Office LA-7D)
Office Number: 909-941-2412
Class Web Page: http://locutus.ucr.edu/~cathy/f98-1a.html
Textbook Web Page: http://www.smpcollege.com/theGuide
email:cathy@cassandra.ucr.edu

Course Description: Careful study and practice of expository and argumentative writing techniques and the frequent writing of compositions with the ultimate goal of a research project. Designed to prepare the student for satisfactory college writing.

Course Objectives:
1. To gain an appreciation of the aesthetic and literary characteristics of good writing.
2. To be able to demonstrate the ability to think logically and express thoughts in clear, effective prose.
3. To be able to explain and apply the principles of unity and coherence in essays.
4. To be able to explain and use the forms of exposition and argumentation.
5. To be able to write logical, coherent, unified essays with minimal errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
6. To be able to explain the relationships between audience, tone, purpose, and levels of diction.
7. To be able to recognize and formulate clear and specific thesis statements and develop these into unified and complete essays.
8. To be able to analyze the structure of various kinds of essay development, including argumentation and exposition (analysis, classification, definition, comparison and contrast, cause and effect), and to be able to construct essays in these patterns.
9. To be able to demonstrate an understanding of various logical relationships among ideas in an essay, to distinguish fact from judgment, and to eliminate prejudice and fallacious reasoning in your writing.
10. To be able to determine patterns of errors in your work and figure out how to write more effectively as a result of studying the patterns of error.
11. To be able to use stylistic devices.
12. To be able to select a suitable, manageable, argumentative research topic.
13. To be able to use the library and its resources.
14. To be able to evaluate potential sources for your research paper.
15. To be able to integrate source material into your papers to support your assertions.
16. To be able to explain and use the proper style format, citations, and documentation for research papers.

Required Materials:
1. A college-level dictionary
2. Axelrod, Rise B., and Charles R. Cooper. The St. Martin's Guide to Writing. 5th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. (Bring to every class)
3. A notebook, a looseleaf pad, and a folder to store your handouts, homework, etc.
4. Number 2 pencils to take scantron tests and exams.

Attendance Policy
Note that your class participation grade is partially based upon class attendance; thus, any absence lowers this segment of the grade. Any student missing four weeks of class (eight classes) will not receive a passing grade. If you develop a serious illness or serious problem that could result in missing a week or more of class, you should consult me and a college counselor as soon as possible about the best way to handle your emergency. It may be possible for you to make special arrangements to stay in the course rather than fail due to absence. Keep a record of your absences, so you will not be surprised by a failing grade.

Late Work Policy
Any student may request an extension for an assignment; extensions will be granted depending upon the circumstances. Extensions must be asked for before the due date. Any work not turned in on the due date is docked 10% of the grade. No late work is accepted after one week past the due date. In emergencies, an extension may be granted on the day work is due or even in the week after the due date; an explanation of the emergency should be presented to the teacher with the request for exemption from the late penalty. Decisions on emergency extensions are made depending on the individual cases.

Plagiarism Policy
Any idea of another person must be cited as that person's idea (ideas from lectures, interviews, the internet, videos, books, journals, etc.) Failure to indicate the idea is another person's is plagiarism. Any exact wording of another author (including as few as two words) used by students must be indicated by quotation marks or the MLA, indented, long quotation format, or it is plagiarism. Any use of the sentence structure of another is plagiarism. Plagiarism receives a grade of ZERO. If the plagiarism is malicious, extensive, or repeated, the student discipline policy will be applied (see page 19 of the 1998-9 Catalogue or page 14 of the Fall 1998-9 Schedule of Classes).

Homework Format: All papers must be typed, or they will lose 15% off the final grade (15 points on a scale of 100). Papers without an original title will lose 5% off the final grade (5 points on a scale of 100). Handwritten assignments MUST SKIP EVERY OTHER LINE, or they will lose 5% off the final grade.

Grading Scale (to be eligible for 1B the final course grade must be a C or above)

A+ 98	B+ 88	C+ 78	*D+ 68	*F 50
A 95	B 85	C 75	*D 65	*Not a Passing Grade
A- 93	B- 83	*C- 73	*D- 63

Grading Schedule: You can expect assignments that are turned in on time back in one to two weeks. Assignments turned in late can be expected back within three or four weeks. Papers over 8 pages may require three weeks for grading.

Grade Formula

Homework and Classwork	30%	(a simple average of all assignments not mentioned in other parts of the grade formula; be aware missed assignments are scored as 0, which has a dramatic effect upon an average.)
Class Participation	10%	(5% of class participation will be the percent of classes attended; see also attendance policy above)
Midterm Exam	10%	10/12
Final Exam	10%	12/16
Outline of "Proposing a Solution Paper"	2%	Due 9/28
Sentence Outline of Research Paper	5%	Due 10/5
Bibliography of Research Paper	3%	Due 9/16
Summary	5%	Due 9/21
"Proposing a Solution" Paper	3%	Due 10/14
Revised "Proposing a Solution" Paper	5%	Due 10/28
Opening Three Pages of Research Paper	2%	Due 10/19
Research Paper	5%	Due 11/14
Revised Research Paper	10%	Due 11/30

Paper Grading Policy
Deductions for lateness (10 points), not being typed (15 points), and lack of an original title are subtracted from the paper grade (5 points). Notice that any paper with all three of these problems can only receive a maximum high grade of 68 (which would be assigned if the late, handwritten, untitled paper was an A+ paper). Thus, it is very important that all three of these problems are avoided; see the late policy and homework format section above for details.

Week One
8/17 Discussion of Syllabus, College Skills, Study Schedule Assignment, and Format for Exercise 1.2

Study Schedule Assignment Due 8/19 {See the Sample Schedule} Prepare a weekly study schedule for the week of August 23 to 29th. Use blank typing paper. Turn the paper so the longest side of the paper is the top. Make eight column across the page. In the first column write in the hours of the day you are awake during the week, starting with the earliest morning time you awake. Divide the columns by horizontal lines to indicate the time. Use additional pages if you cannot fit all the hours on one page. Label the other seven columns Sun. to Sat. For each day, plot in what you must do (classes, work, meals, etc.) Then schedule blocks of time to do homework for each class you are taking.

8/19 Bring #2 Pencil for College Skills Survey
Study Schedule Assignment Due
Have read Guide, pp. xxv-viii, 2-17 (part of preface, Chapter 1)
Exercises 1.2 and 1.3 Due (see pages 6 and 9 in textbook; these maybe handwritten although typing is preferred; see homework format policy above to avoid grade deductions)

Week Two
8/24 Library Workshop
Have read Guide, pp. 556-574 (part of Chapter 21)
Exercises 1.1 and 1.5 Due (see pages 4 and 9; maybe handwritten although typing is preferred)

8/26 Library Workshop
Have read Guide, pp. 574-594 (end of Chapter 21)
Research Paper Schedule Due

Week Three
8/31 Have read Guide, pp. 595-611, 621-9 (parts of Chapter 22)
Library Assignment Due

9/2 Have read Guide, pp. 246-253, 429-440 (part of Chapter 7, Chapter 11)
Exercise 1.4 Due (see pages 9-10; typing required)

Week Four
9/7 Holiday, No Class

9/9 Have read Guide, pp. 253-7, 441-453 (parts of Chapters 7 and 12)
Topic Assignment Due

Week Five
9/14 Have read Guide, pp. 454-4 (end of Chapter 12)
Paraphrase of paragraph six of "Street Hassle" Due (see pages 255 and 453; must be typed)

9/16 Have read Guide, pp. 258-262 (part of Chapter 7)
Bibliography Assignment Due

Week Six
9/21 Have read Guide, pp. 465-475 (part of Chapter 13)
Summary of "Birth Control in the Schools" Due (see pages 258-60 and 454-455; must be typed)

9/23 Have read Guide, pp. 262-279 (part of Chapter 7)
Narrowed Topic and Brief Outline Assignment Due

Week Seven
9/28 Have read Guide, pp. 475-80 (end of Chapter 13)
Outline of "Proposing a Solution" Paper Due

9/30 Have read Guide, pp. 279-286 (part of Chapter 7)

Week Eight
10/5 Have read Guide, pp. 630-647 (Chapter 23)
Sentence Outline of Research Paper Due

10/7 Have read Guide, pp. 526-531 (part of Chapter 19)
Exercises 19.2 and 19.3 Due (may be handwritten but typing preferred; see homework format policy)

Week Nine
10/12 Midterm Exam on all material covered by 10/7

10/14 Have read Guide, pp. 200-213 (part of Chapter 6)
"Proposing a Solution" Paper Due

Week Ten
10/19 Have read Guide, pp. 214-8 and 531-4 (parts of Chapters 6 and 19)
Opening Three Pages of Research Paper Due

10/21 Have read Guide, pp. 218-242 (part of Chapter 6)

Week Eleven
10/26 Have read Guide, pp. 535-43 (end of Chapter 19)

10/28 Have read Guide, pp. 286-9 (part of Chapter 7)
Revised version of "Proposing a Solution" Paper Due

Week Twelve
11/2 Have read Guide, pp. 481-90 (Chapter 14)

11/4 Research Paper Due

Week Thirteen
11/9 Have read Guide, pp. 491-502 (Chapter 15)
Writing Exercise on Proposal Writing (see textbook, p. 288-9) Due

11/11 Holiday, No Class

Week Fourteen
11/16 Have read Guide, pp. 503-12 (Chapter 16)

11/18 Have read Guide, pp. 242-5 (end of Chapter 6)
Writing Exercise on Position Writing (see textbook, p. 244-5

Week Fifteen
11/23 Have read Guide, pp. 513-19 (Chapter 17)

11/25 Have read Guide, pp. 520-25 (Chapter 18)

Week Sixteen
11/30 Revised Research Paper Due

12/2 Have read Guide, pp. 159-69 (part of Chapter 5)

Week Seventeen
12/7 Have read Guide, pp. 336-48 (part of Chapter 9)

12/9 Have read Guide, pp. 304-9 (part of Chapter 8)